The Fairy Queen
by archergwen
Summary: Sarah must run again, and harder than she ever did before, facing a different foe. For when these new thirteen hours run out, it is Jareth who will lose his life. (T for safety and later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

"Bye-bye, Sarah!"  
Sarah laughed sadly as she gave her brother Toby one last hug. He was almost to pre-school age, but she wouldn't be there for his first day. It was her own first day at college. "Good bye Toby! I'll see you at Thanksgiving."  
Carefully handing him back to her parents, she gave a cheery wave and confidently walked towards her dorm (daisies springing up in her footsteps).

After two days, her World Lit teacher stopped Sarah as she was leaving.  
"Yes, Ms. Prentan?"  
"Sarah," she paused as the last student left the lecture hall. "Have you noticed anything unusual lately?"  
"Not really."  
The teacher pointed to Sarah's feet. The student looked down and leapt away. Where she had been standing was a small cluster of budding lavender. As they watched, the flowers grew and then faded away to nothing. Sarah looked down at her present feet to see poppies springing.  
"Sarah, have you ever had a truly strange dream."  
"Many."  
Ms. Prentan shook her head. "A dream that seemed almost real, because it was real. You had lost something, something important, and there was a labyrinth filled with new creatures-" "Yes!" "-and a beautiful woman."  
"You lost me there. There was no woman in my dream."  
"None?"  
"No, but there was a man."  
The teacher's eyebrows lifted. "Describe him."  
"Tall, slender, with mismatched eyes." Ms. Prentan nodded. "And blonde hair surrounding his head like a cloud."  
The older woman shook her head and leaned back. "Strange." She suddenly blinked and her voice wavered and took on a tone not her own, more masculine, more seductive. "Sarah, you will be tested again. This I cannot stop. And you must win."  
Ms. Prentan shook herself. "Sorry, lost my train of thought. What were we talking about?"  
"Just a quick review, nothing to worry about. I have to go study. See you next time, Ms. Prentan," Sarah reassured her gently, all the while preparing to find a certain magical male and read him the riot act.

* * *

She opened her door to find a woman reclining on her bed, her fingers tossing green crystal balls in the air haphazardly.  
"Who are you?"  
"I am Nobora, Queen of the Fairies. And you are Sarah Williams, queen of nothing. For now."  
She was a glorious pile of greens, blues, and every radiant color imaginable. Her hair laid spread out in an oak brown fan with flowers and silver gems interwoven. She tossed her crystals into the air and all but one vanished as she sat up.  
"Excuse me?"  
As her long hair shifted, the gems moved and Sarah realized they weren't gems but drops of water.  
"Come, come now, surely Jareth told you of me?"  
"No. I haven't spoken to him in years. How do you know me?"  
"Has it really been years? My, that was a long night. I sensed your defeat of Jareth and transported straight to his castle to take him out for drinks. He needed a pick-me-up." Nobora sighed and rose gracefully to her feet. Moving about the room, circling Sarah, she left a trail of flower petals and blades of grass amongst the drip-pitter-patter-drop of water from her hair.  
"I am his opposite, nearly his complete polar opposite. I would be but we're both tall and slender, like trees!" She giggled and hopped a little. "Where he is autumn and winter, I am spring and summer. Where he is cold and calculating, I am warm and passionate."  
"I wouldn't say passionate is the opposite of calculating. Perhaps hasty?"  
"Hush!" For a moment, Nobora seemed to burn with the blistering heat of the summer sun. But it faded fast. She smiled.  
Sarah beat her to speaking. "Are you his wife?"  
Nobora laughed. "Oh no, oh no. That relationship would be disastrous. His cold would destroy my heat, his autumn wither my spring. One or both of us would die. We are nothing but friends." She coughed and a butterfly fluttered from her lips. "Now, Sarah, can you forgive Jareth for what happened when you were sixteen?"  
Sarah paused and said slowly, "yes. Yes I can. I understand now that I wished my brother away, though on accident. It was not all his fault."  
Nobora laughed and clapped happily. "I'm so glad you said that. You see, Jareth and I have this game, and no one's won it yet. Well, one of my guys half won. Anyway, you ran his Labyrinth, let's see you run mine. The prize? Jareth." Nobora grinned and spun around, sending a near-hurricane of grass, petals, and spring rain into the air. "Get an audience with me, mortal. I'll be in my castle, in the middle! Good luck."  
With two pats on the head, Nobora vanished and Sarah realized she'd been standing in a meadow overlooking a green, vibrant, moving labyrinth for the past five minutes, if the field of bluebells was anything to go by.


	2. Chapter 2

Inside of the Labyrinth, flowers stopped budding up in her footsteps.  
"No trail, I suppose."  
She was walking in a steady, straight line and parallel to the castle. She had a feeling that she was headed the right way. Jareth had taught her to not trust appearances. So she forged on.  
And then a quiet voice said, "'Allo."  
Sarah instinctively looked down. "Hello. Lovely weather today."  
"Yes, yes is" replied the small the yellow worm. "Would you like some tea?"  
"Not at the moment, but perhaps another time. I am trying to get to the castle in the center of the Labyrinth. I need an audience with the Fairy Queen. Can you help?"  
The worm shook her head. "I've got a pot of tea on. Have to watch it. Good luck though."  
Sarah smiled pleasantly. "Thank you. Have a nice day." And she strolled off.  
Slipping back into her home, the worm wonder why Sarah didn't just ask for an audience.

* * *

"She's nice. Polite. How did she beat you?"  
Jareth's head rolled forward so he could glare at Nobora. "Just you watch."  
"Tsk, tsk, Jareth. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it when the tables were turned? Don't deny me my pleasure."  
"I certainly never tied you up."  
"Oh Jareth," she tickled his defenseless chin and he strained against the bindings to the chair. "I rather like you in bondage. Keeps your ego in check."  
He rolled his eyes and prayed Sarah would stop walking and start running.

* * *

This journey wasn't too bad, until the Labyrinth moved.  
Sarah feel to her hands and knees, holding on for dear life as the section of path she was walking along shifted deeper into the maze.  
"This is so unfair," she hollered, gritting her teeth for letting that slip out.  
When her floor came to a rest, she breathed out a sigh. "Life isn't fair. I wonder what you basis for comparison is," she muttered mockingly.  
She could almost hear him. _"That's my girl."_  
"Good grief, it's like we can hear each other."  
A green smile cut through the air. "It's because you can, darling. We are watching. We are listening. Good luck."  
And the smile disappeared.

* * *

Nobora watched Sarah fume for a few moments before turning to the weakening Jareth. "It only took her a minute to be done with being angry at me. Now she's moving on." She giggled.  
His glazing eyes cleared. "She'll win. I believe in her."  
"No God for the Goblin King, just his mortal Sarah. She will lose like all of mine did. And you might possibly die."  
He sighed and let his eyelids droop.  
"But why don't you join her? Just for a bit."  
They flew back open.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah angrily exclaimed as fairies darted past, happily chirping and stinging as they flew past.  
As the small hurricane spun her about, a strong voice ordered them to leave. Chittering sadly, they fluttered away.  
Sarah slowly turned to face the voice.  
"Jareth."  
"Sarah." He said her name like a caress, a whisper between lovers.  
"What are you doing here?"  
He smiled as he approached. "Nobora has graciously allowed me to help you, though without magic. I want to see you win this, just as I wanted you to win last time."  
"And I did. Remember?"  
"Vividly."  
Sarah shook her head, trying to back away and escape Jareth. "How can you help me? Don't you remember anything? 'My will is as strong as yours. You have no power over me.'"  
Jareth tsked. "Oh Sarah, you're not a child anymore. You're eighteen, a woman now. You can't say such things anymore," he whispered softly, backing her up the final steps against the wall. One hand next to her head, bracing him against the wall, he placed the other on her lips. "In fact, you have no power over me."  
He pressed his lips to hers. Slowly, his tongue invaded and his hands roamed.  
At first, she was pure putty in his grip. She echoed his movements, responding to his every heartbeat. But as he drew her closer, she stiffened before completely shoving him away from her.  
"Jareth!"  
"Forgive me for satisfying your deepest desires, kitten."  
"Kitten?" Sarah, for a moment, was livid. But she turned away. "If you're going to help me win this, actually help me, don't complicate things."  
The Goblin King paused. Then he bowed low. "Do forgive me for over-stepping your boundaries."  
"Apology accepted. Now let's go."  
Jareth smirked and followed after her. If Nobora hadn't separated him from his crystals, he could've explained to Sarah how this labyrinth worked. It was near impossible to win, unless you understood who Nobora was. And that would take a fair bit of magic to explain.  
Rumbling gathered beneath their feet as they walked.  
"It's going to move again, isn't it?"  
"I'd say so," replied Jareth. "Careful not to-"  
The crack opened up right beneath Sarah's feet, one on each side. She squeaked as her body was pulled away from itself. For one painfully brief moment she had her balance, and then she began to fall.  
A weight crashed into Sarah and she was propelled across the gap to safety.  
"Ow," she murmured softly as the floor came to a stop. "Get off me."  
Jareth chuckled as he practically floated to his feet. "Glad to see you're still yourself." He extended a hand to help Sarah up. "Don't fall into the cracks. They lead to oubliettes. More posh than mine, I will admit."  
Sarah brushed the dust from her shirt. "It's because she's your opposite. Compare the décor."  
"So what if there's more green. It's not any less dangerous."  
"Now did I say that?" Sarah laughed and tapped Jareth's nose. "Come along, winter. Let's go find a rosebud."  
"Are you flirting?"  
"You wish."


	4. Chapter 4

Nobora absentmindedly ran her fingers through the blond head of hair tied to the chair. "Things are going easy for you. But tsk, tsk, guess what? She's changing again."  
Rain drops and flower petals littered into a leather lap.

* * *

The floor swung again, but by now Sarah and Jareth were used to it.  
As they stabilized, Sarah moaned. "Good grief."  
Before them stood two doors with two guardians. "Oh," said Jareth.  
One was blue, the other red, as in Jareth's Labyrinth. But these had only one head apiece and instead of shields they held gorgeous, if very large, poppies. The guardians smiled, deep and beautiful smiles, and held out their flowers.  
"One door leads to certain death the other to the castle," whispered the blue flower.  
"And one of them always tells the truth and the other always lies," murmured the red.  
Jareth laughed a little. "The same riddle, Nobora? Honestly."  
Sarah gingerly stepped towards the red guardian. "Would the other guardian say that your path leads to freedom?"  
"No," the red guardian replied, smooth as milk.  
"Then please, kindly step aside."  
Jareth chirped happily and followed Sarah through the door. But the red guardian stopped him, quickly whispering something into his ear and offering the flower. The Goblin King glanced at Sarah, who had not yet noticed his delay, and took the poppy, which with a shudder and green sparks shrank to where Jareth could tuck it into his jacket's pocket.

* * *

"Naughty boy," said Nobora, water sprinkling the white shirt as her head shook with laughter.

* * *

"Jareth, ever get the feeling that things are going too well?"  
The ground opened beneath their feet and they tumbled into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah blinked her eyes open to find Jareth already perched on the sole bed, coaxing a meager candle to give light.  
"What happened?"  
"Welcome to one of Nobora's oubliettes, Sarah."  
She rolled to her knees. "It's certainly more posh than yours."  
He childishly stuck his tongue out at her. "An oubliette is not supposed to be comfortable. What jailer wants his prisoner to be happy?"  
"So you admit you were a jailer?"  
"I was not," he snapped indignantly, rising to his feet.  
She stood up quickly after him. "You just said you didn't agree with prisoners comfortable, with the jailed happy."  
"I didn't mean you. I would've made you safe. I let you escape."  
"As I recall you, Mr. 'Generous', left me in an oubliette and were none too pleased when I escaped. You didn't want me to win, liar."  
Jareth's face contorted with anger at her accusation. "What?"  
"You-" she stabbed his chest "-are-" again "-a-" again "-liar!" She shoved him backward. '"Everything I've done I've done for you,' like hell. You just wanted a snog. You're a frikkin' stalker who just needs to get laid but the only female you could find was a fifteen year old apparently, never mind the woman your age who lives next door! What were you doing drinking with Nobora for three years? I went through high school hell like every other girl who hasn't had some magical bloke whisk her away, dress her up in a ballgown, and make her dreams come true before she realizes she's in a nightmare! You were never there for me! So what the hell have you done for me, Jareth Goblin King?"  
There was a strained silence before he quietly said, "Wait, Nobora told you we went drinking after you won?"  
"Forget Nobora. We're seconds away from a passionate, anger-fueled make-out here."  
"What?"  
But she had already reached up, grabbed his head, and pressed her lips to his. Almost instantaneously afterwards, she pulled back.  
"And what the devil is with your pants?"  
"If this is what you call foreplay, Sarah, we're going to have to have some lessons."  
Jareth gathered Sarah up in his arms and pulled her close. He traced circles, stars with his fingers dancing lightly over her skin, leaving traces like fire blazing. Laughter or desire bubbled up from deep in her core and spilled until she had twisted knots into his hair. He held her steady, sliding his knee between her legs, thigh to thigh.  
Sarah suddenly stumbled back, gasping. "What was I just doing?"  
"I'm not sure but I am not complaining."  
"That I can see," she replied coolly, fixing her eyes on his face, no lower.  
Jareth sighed, taking a step towards her but she stepped further away. "Sarah, I'm sorry for all the mistakes I made. I honestly am. Those three years Nobora said she took me drinking? She didn't. I sat in my castle alone for three far too long and lonely years wondering why I acted so stupidly. And then Nobora appeared, tied me up, and dragged me back to her place so you could run her labyrinth because of a stupid bet I made when I was drunk. Previously. Ages ago."  
Sarah nodded as if contemplating. "Your apology started out very well, stellar. But it kind of fell apart at the end."  
"Apologies for a poor apology."  
"No need," Sarah yawned. "I apologize for yelling at you. You did not deserve it and you did help me more than I merited when I was in your labyrinth. It was unfair of me to blame you for my troubles in school. They made me stronger. I am glad for them."  
"But they still hurt," replied Jareth softly, absentmindedly rubbing one gloved hand over the other. "I accept your apology." She yawned again. "Come along, Sarah," he murmured gently. He reached to gather her up in his arms and she let him, the anger having melted from her limbs. Laying her gently down on the bed, he moved to make himself comfortable elsewhere.  
"Where are you going?" she murmured after him.  
"There's only one bed, Sarah."  
"I know."  
Jareth paused. Then, moving delicately, he lay down on the bed beside her, chest to her back. He reached over with his fingers and extinguished the candle.


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah woke up to the new sensation of another's arm wrapped around her waist.  
She realized in a flash it was Jareth but before she could roll away, his grip tightened. Uncertain, she turned to face him.  
"Jareth?"  
"Morning, Kitten. Don't you look lovely this morning."  
She was shocked speechless. "I-you-shirt?"  
"It's only on the floor," he murmured indignantly, as he rose to grab it. "The pants stayed on, Kitten, no need to worry about that."  
"I wasn't," she squeaked. "And stop calling me kitten."  
Jareth pulled his shirt on and whirled to face Sarah. "Oh really?"  
He pounced and began to tickle her gleefully. And she happily laughed as she writhed. She shot up and tried to retaliate, but froze.  
Jareth turned to look where she was gazing. "Is that a door?"  
"I think it is."  
"Well," he said, now elegantly extending a hand to help her up. "Shall we investigate?"  
"We shall," she replied, taking his hand.  
They quickly hurried out the door, racing past pillars that tried to make conversation. But neither King nor maiden stopped to talk.  
They did, however, come to a halt when faced with a smiling Sphinx.  
"Hello," she purred.  
"Hello, beautiful one," Jareth said in reply. "Please, may we pass?"  
The Sphinx shook her head. "No, you don't get past by asking politely. You must answer my riddle correctly. Otherwise I'll eat you. It would be much easier to go back to that oubliette and rest. After all, there is a bed back there, and you two are very much in love. Last night wasn't very successful, was it? Why don't you try again?"  
Her voice was compelling, but Jareth shook her words away. "Listen, Sarah-"  
"What's the riddle?"  
"Pardon?" asked the Sphinx and Jareth simultaneously.  
"Please, tell me the riddle."  
The half-cat half-woman creature settled back on her haunches smirking. "Alright. But once I start you cannot go back. Let's see, which one do I want to ask?" She purred in contemplation for a moment, tail tapping the passage of time. "I know! My favorite. Why is a raven like a writing desk? And only she, may answer since she asked."  
"Sarah?"  
"Hang on." Sarah paced a little before smiling. "Well, Carroll wrote it as a riddle with no answer, but I'd say it's because Poe wrote on both."  
The Sphinx opened her jaws as if to devour the two, but laughed instead. "That's brilliant. I thought of the first bit, but I like the second. Go on ahead. You two, mister. You, you're special." She snickered.  
Wary, Jareth and Sarah continued on.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm just trying to figure her out."  
"Who?"  
Neither Sarah nor Jareth had said much as they walked, ran, and crawled their way towards the center castle.  
"Nobora," replied Sarah. "I'm trying to figure out her personality and how it affects us. Even better, how we can use her personality to win."  
Jareth nodded. "For one thing, she seems to have warded off my degeneration. So she is somewhat kind."  
"Degeneration?"  
"I'm her opposite and in my opposite element. I was fading, dying when she had me tied up in her throne room. But since she dropped me with you, it seems she saw fit to pause my death."  
"You're dying?"  
Jareth shrugged. "Like snow melts in spring."  
Sarah grabbed his arm and pulled him into a jog. "Let's move faster then."

* * *

"But you'll never move fast enough, Sarah." Nobora smiled. "Sure, you have all the time in the world to solve the maze. It matters not to me when you solve it as long as you do. But he doesn't have much left, now do you?"  
She trailed a slender finger down an angular jaw.

* * *

"What kind of creatures live in her Labyrinth?"  
"The opposite of mine."  
Sarah shoved him lightly. They had slowed back down to a walk and strolled casually now, chatting, the threat almost forgotten. "Be more specific? Aside from the fairies. I know about them."  
"There are unicorns."  
"Really?"  
Jareth nodded. "They always come when a maiden calls."  
"I should hope so. Hey, if I-"  
"It wouldn't help me. The unicorn would take you where you needed to go but leave me behind, at best. At worst, it would run me through."  
"What? The fairy tales don't really mention that."  
"Oh, after centuries of being told, all the tales get watered down." He chuckled deviously. "Do you want to hear about Red Riding Hood? That bad, bad girl."  
Sarah shoved him again. "Honestly. I think you're making that up."  
"Am I?"  
She paused. And then a strange look came over her face. "Jareth, 'come when a maiden calls.' Is that was all the tales say."  
"Most of them. Some stories say the same thing of griffins, and the fairy queen, and oh…"  
Sarah smirked. "I humbly ask for an audience with Nobora, Queen of the Fairies, in her castle."  
Rosemary petals marked where they had stood before the Queen called them away.


	8. Chapter 8

When the world stopped spinning, Jareth and Sarah found themselves facing a solid wooden door.  
"Nobora! I sought an audience with you, not this door."  
A green smile stretched itself into the wood. "Well, dearie, you don't know what will happen when you open that door." The mouth chuckled. "The Sphinx told you too."  
"Told me what?"  
Jareth paled. "No."  
As the mouth grinned wickedly, Sarah turned to Jareth. "What? What did she say?"  
"That I'm special. She didn't ask me a riddle."  
Jareth's knees buckled and he almost fell but Sarah caught him. "Jareth, what's going on?"  
"Little mortal, he can't answer. Look at him. He's too sick, too ill. Now that he's back near his magic, he can feel the pain and the death of himself."  
"But why?"  
"He's split in two, Sarah. You have one Jareth, one without magic who is not affected by mine. But I've gotten to play all this time with another Jareth, one with magic who is passed out behind the door and dying. So now you have a choice, Sarah. You can open the door and let them meld, and perhaps save his life but you cannot save him for you. You will age and die while he remains young. Or you can help the one in your arms up and walk away. You two will wake up in each other's arms in some park. This will all be a dream. You can live a normal life together."  
Jareth weakly raised his eyes to Sarah's face.  
"Choose, Sarah," the mouth whispered. "The Lady or the Tiger," she snickered and the smile melded back into the door.  
"Jareth. I-I-"  
"Help me up," he whispered. "Let's get out of here. Fast."  
Sarah gasped quietly in shock. "Jareth, no. I cannot take you from your kingdom."  
"But I want you to." He gently brushed her cheek. "I want you to take me away. Just steal me. I want you."  
She sighed. "I know what I'll do. I'll ask Nobora to take us away. Now, shush," she closed his eyes and kissed his forehead. "Rest, love."  
Jareth relaxed. Maybe he would be bitter for a while that he had lost his kingdom. But for Sarah, he would move the stars.  
She opened the door.  
His eyes flashed opened as he felt the tight sensation of ropes around his wrists. "Sarah, no."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This ending fought with me, so it's being uploaded in two parts, both today **

"Oh Jareth, yes!" squealed Nobora at the sight of Sarah slipping into the room. "The warrior woman has come to fight for her prince." Nobora was draped over Jareth and the chair.  
Sarah stood tall. "I'm the quester. You're the evil wizard. What must I do now?"  
Nobora grinned, sliding silkily into his lap. He winced, his only movement the whole time. And she replied, "Convince me to let him go."  
"Good grief," Sarah nearly snarled. "Honestly?"  
Nobora rose to her feet, letting her dress and hair linger on Jareth's skin leaving raindrops and flower petals that painstakingly slowly frosted over.  
"That's all. But believe me, as a woman, it is hard to change my mind." She turned proudly away.  
"But as a woman, you also love him."  
Nobora froze and Jareth made an effort to look up.  
"You want desperately what you can't have, even if it will kill one or both of you. Can't you see he's dying?" Sarah took a step forward but a warm burst of hair brushed her back. "You're so desperate for the unattainable you'd lie to another who has as much a chance as you. Took him drinking indeed. It took you three years to notice I'd come into his life and walked out. What kind of love is that?"  
The Fairy Queen turned on Sarah. "This kind of love."  
With a blast of hot, stifling summer air, Sarah blacked out.

* * *

She became aware of his touch, his skin, every cell on fire where he fingered her, her hair, her face, were his gloves off? they were, and his teeth nipped at her heart, she bit back, oh my, oh my, oh his hands, his lips on hers, on her neck, on her collarbone, running down her torso, and was she reciprocating? she was and it was good; she felt embarrassed to be so open, so bare but she wanted more, more, she wanted it all and he gave it freely, happily, and did he want it more than her? who could tell as he devoured her last traces of innocence and that sweet, sweet, ecstasy of the final release, that final lover's embrace to make them one

* * *

Sarah gasped as Nobora pulled her back to reality and she stumbled as she tried to find her footing.  
Jareth was unchanged, if not worse for wear. And every glance at him shook Sarah's foundations anew.  
But Nobora was ablaze. "You dare minimize me?" As she raged, the oranges and reds she was surrounded by grew sharper, harsher.  
Sarah, still unsettled by the forced dream, lunged for the Fairy Queen. "Stop it! Stop it!" Her voice was weakened but still held steel. "Control your temper! Can't you see it's killing him." She tried to tackle Nobora.  
It was like trying to wrestle the winds.  
"This isn't love," shrieked Sarah. "It's lust. You're killing him! You only want Jareth because you can't have him."  
The storm raged violently for an instant, then vanished.  
Nobora turned one angry, yellow eye to Sarah. "How I despise you, mortal truth-teller. But it matters not to me the words you say." She drew in a deep breath. "You will die and he will live. You will wither like the summer grass."  
She blew out one gentle sigh.  
Sarah glanced around at Jareth's castle, a shower of flower petals from Nobora's transportation spell fluttering down.  
"Sarah," he growled from behind her.  
She slowly turned to face him, every residual feeling from the dream forcing itself back with twice the strength.  
A peach-colored flower floated on to his strong shoulder and it withered instantly.  
He reached for her shoulders and drew her close to him roughly. "Let's make that dream a reality."  
"No, Jareth," Sarah whispered and she turned away. "No. Let me go, let me go home."

**A/N: One last chapter after this. **


	10. Chapter 10

Jareth gently laid Sarah down in her dorm room bed. The confrontation had taken all the energy out of her.  
He tenderly draped a blanket over her sleeping form. He could do nothing for her sleep wear; nothing that wouldn't dig him into a deeper hole. So he refilled her water glass, tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, and kissed her forehead.  
"Good night, my champion."  
Jareth drew from his pocket the poppy he had been given. Slipping it between her fingers, he gave her another soft kiss on the forehead.  
"Dream well, Sarah." The poppy shivered slightly and returned to its original red. "I will not be here when you wake. No, there are things that must be done. But should you need me, should you want me, pluck a petal. And I will move mountains, move stars to get to you."  
He kissed her cheek and a small smile curved her mouth.  
"Sleep in peace."  
Jareth vanished with a quiet pop.

* * *

Sarah woke up, head still fuzzy from the fight the day before. As she started to stretch, her hand tightened on something foreign.  
She sat up quickly and turned the poppy over in her hands.  
_...should you need me, should you want me, pluck a petal_...  
There was so much to think about and consider. But now was not the time.  
Carefully, Sarah pulled one petal off the flower.  
A shower of glitter descended on her room, and she smiled.

**Thanks for reading! Have a lovely day!**


End file.
